Electric boiler



Aug. 18, 1925. 1,550,224

A. N. o'rls vET AL ELECTRIC BOILER Filed Dec. 27 1924 Alber-'L N. Ols Edward H.Hor5tkotte Patented i iii LBEHT ld. O'IIS AND EDW'ARD H. HORSTKOTTE, OFSCHNECTADY, NEW YQR', .drill- SGNGlEl TU GENERAL MECTRC COMPANY, A CQRPRATION NEW 'YRK i ELECTRIQ application tiled llecember 27', i924. Serial Nadd.

'To all whom t may concern l Be it known that we, ALBERT N. Uris and lf'towano H. l-lonsriro'r'rn, citizens oitl the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Boilers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to electric boilers oit the electrode type, that is, oit the type wherein one or more electrodes. dip into liquid con-tained in a casing and generate vapor by the lpassage et electric current through the liquid. tion ot such boilers is in generating steam from water and as a matter oi convenience the invention is described as used lor this purpose. lt will be understood, however, that this is only by way oit example and that theboiler may be used for generating vapor from any desired liquid.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved electric boiler which is particularly well adapted tor low voltages, that is, voltages of the order of 200 to 600 volts for example, and one wherein a maximum of electrode surface is secured in a given size shell. ln this connection it is known that for ethcient results the current density must not exceed a certain amount and also that for voltages of a low order, the electrode surfaces become quite close together. This means,l then, that to obtain a large output from current of comparatively low voltage, electrodes having large surfaces arranged comparatively close together must be provided. v y l For a consideration ot what we believe to be novel and our invention, attention is 40 directed to the accompan ing description and the claims appended t ereto.

In the drawing, ]E|`ig.`1` is a side elevation,

partly in section of an electric boiler em bodying our invention, and Fig. 2 is asect5 tion taken on line 2--2, Fig. 1the invention being shown as being embodied in an electric boiler of the general type of that shown in the paten-t to Merrill and' Winne, No. 1,462,350,Ju1y 17, 1923.

50 Referring to the drawing, Sindicates a boiler'shell having a lower head lland an upper head 5. On lower headfl aresui'table feet 6 for supporting the'boiler. 7 1s an opening in the upper end of vshell 3 and 'lhe common applica` nected' by a conduit 16 to the lower end ot shell 3. At the bottom of head 4 is a sump from which/water mayv be drawn od and connected to shell 3 adjacent its lower end is a conduit.18 through which water may be supplied to the boiler.

Mounted on top wall 11 at its peripheral edge is an inner shell 19 which stands in spaced relation to shell 3. When assembled spaced walls 10 and 11, side wall 12 and l inner shell 19 form in substance an integral structure which is somewhat vin the form of a basket, wall 10 being the bottom' of the basket and wall l1 being a false bottom which provides the liquid chamber 13.

Mounted on wall l1 inside inner shell 19 and in spaced relation to shell 19 and to each other are a plurality of triangular shaped liller members 20, three suchtiller members being' shown in the present instance. The outer walls of fillers 20 are curved to conform lto the curvature of inner shell 19l while the other two walls are straight. Located between ller members 2U are additional illermembers 21 which are attached directly to upper wall 11 and shell 19. Filler members 2l have flat sides which extend parallel to the flat sides of filler members 20. There are thus lprovided a number of radially-extending chambers 22 between ller members 20 and 21 which chambers are connected to each other at their radiall outer ends by arcuate chambers 23. At their inner ends chambers 22 open into each other. Arranged in chambers 22 are straight rectangular electrodes 24 which are Supported Jfrom the adjacent walls of filler members 20 and 21 bysuitable insulated pins 25, and supported in arcuate chambers 23 are rectangular curved electrodes 26 which are supported by the concentric walls of ller members 2O and inner shell 19 by suitable insulated supporting pins 27. Connected to dll los

electrodes 24 and 26 are electrical conductors 28 which lead to connectors 29 fastened in boiler shell 3 by suitable insulators 30. All the connectors 29 may be connected to the same phase of a single phase circuit in which case'the several electrodes form the positive element et the boiler and the liller members 20 and 21, the inner shell`19, and the outer shell 3 form the negative element of the boiler.

Viewed from one aspect, the chambers 22 and 23 may be considered as forming triangular shaped electrode chambers, yin each leg ot' which is an electrode. rThe chambers within filler `members 20 and 21 do not term parts of the active electrode chambers, that is, they do not contain liquid which carries electric current between electrodes. For this reason, such clearances may be termed inactive chambers.

The chambers 22 and 23 in which'electrodes 24 and 26 are located are connected to liquid chamber 13 by holes 31 formed in wall 11 whereby liquid may liow 'from cham ber 13 through holes 31 to chambers 22 and 23. In the side walls ot fill-er members 2() and 21 are a number of holes 32 arranged in different Vertical planes and through which water in electrode chambers 22 and 23 may llow to theinteriors of filler members 20 and 2l. The water flowing into the space within filler members 2O flows back to the bottom of shell 3 through passages 33 which transverse liquid chamber 13 and the water which flows into the spaces within liller members 21 flows back to the lower end of shell 3 through openings 34 formed in inner shell 19.

In operation there is a suitable supply of water in the lower end ot shell 3, the level of the supply being below supporting ring1 8. Pump 15 operates to convey water from the lower end of shell 3 through conduits 16 and 14 to liquid chamber 13 from which chamber it is forced up into the electrode chambers 22 and 23 through the openings 31. From electrode chambers 22 and 23 water runs back continuously through openings 32,` 33 and 34 to the bottom of shell 3. The size of openings 32 are such that water can llow through 'them at a predetermined rate so that the level ot the water in the electrode chambers will depend on the rate at which pump 15 supplies water through con duit 14. 'lhe input to the boiler depends upon the extent to which the electrodes are submerged so that it will be clear that by increasing the rate ot' pumping the input te the boiler can be increased since the elec trodes will be submerged further, while by decreasing the rate at which the pump supplies water through conduit 14 the input 'to the boiler can be decreased because et the tact that electrodes will not be submerged so tar.

This is the type of electric boiler control which is set forth in the aforementioned patent to Merrill and lWinne.

rllhe driving means tor pump 15 is not illustrated in the drawing but it will be understood that any l'orm ot driving means such as an electric motor, lor example, may be provided and that it may be controlled in any suitable manner.

The electric current passes from the elec.- trodes 24 and 26 through the water to the inner shell 19 and to the filler members 2O and 21, thereby heating the water and generating steam which is led otl' through conduit 7.

By the above-described arrangement it will be seen that there is provided electrode surfaces of considerable area which surfaces are con'iparatively close together whereby he boiler is adapted for comparatively low 'voltage and large output. At the same time the space within the boiler is utilized to the highest degree so that the shell may be made comparatively small for a given output.

1n accordance with the provisions et the patent statutes, we have described the principle et operation ot our invention, together with the apparatus which we now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but we desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent et' the United States, is:

1. In an electric boiler, the combination of a shell, walls in the shelll which 'form a plurality of radially-extending, spaced electrode chambers, electrodes in the electrode chambers, and means tor supplying liquid to the electrode chambers.

2. ln an electric boiler, the combination et a shell, spaced triangular shaped fillers in the shell which define electrode chambers, electrodes in the electrode chambers, and means 'for supplying liquid to the electrode v chambers.

3. 1n an electric boiler, the combination of a shell, walls in the shell which form a plurality ot spaced electrode chambers between which are inactive chambers, electrodes in the electrode chambers, means for supplying liquid to the electrode chambers, and means 'for conveying liquid Ylrom the electrode chambers to said inactive chambers.

4. ln an electric boiler., the combination et a shell, walls in the shell which form a plurality et spaced electrode chambers between which are inactive chambers, electrodes in the electrode chambers, a source of liquid supply, and means iter circulating liquid from the liquid supply 'through said entieHjy-speeed electrode Chambers amd seid. ineemve ehem here tmek e@ 'the liquid supply;

5. n en lelleete beier, me combination of e she, Wes in the she spaced l'om the bezom elf it? seid *wams mmmg a pumwlgy of spaced eeetrfode chambers between which me meebve ehembes, eeeibredesA im seid electrode ehambers, meels im supplying iqud from the heiem the Shen im seid electrode ehembe's? and mesme mmng pas# sages ifm' conveying lqud. imm seid elecer-ode chamba?, 'hough seid nmeve ehembers beck wb@ the betem of the shell.

6. El@ am eleewi briller? the eemomeem of e she, 'Wells im *the shell Whieh define e, plmaity @ff deyextendmg, -ci'cumeffeeebmde chembens eemmeeed' aft, their oue? ends by arcuate shaped eeetmde ehambefrs, eeetmdes in seid eectrede chambers, im@ means 'fer supplying quid feo seid eleetmde chambers.

Y. Ein 'en eleetre boiler, theY combination eee formed e plurality of eecrede ehemr bees7 eeemedes in said eleetrede chambers, :and means fm; supplying liquid fw seid electrode chembe's. n

8. In am electric beider, the eembnmom of .a shell, triemguar shaped @Her members im heshel arranged in spaced reetiun i0 @he shell and fno each @thee wher-eey *Lhee me mmed e plumty of eeerede ehembefs, sef ehambefs being spa-eed from the befeom 0f @he Shen, and means fm ereuiafb ing liquid ehe betteln he Shelli hmugh seid electrode ehembere beek ie the hmmm 01 the shel @gehe el Xn en eecere beidem ehe ,eembme'uiom of e ehe, Wes in the ehem Wheh deme e plurality tremgum shaped electrode chambers, eecmodes ,in said eeetme ehembes9 and Ineens fer supplying liquid in@ the eeetrede ehembes.

ln wien-ees Whegeof We have hereunt@ set om* bends this .26th dey of Deeembel'9 192i l ALBERT @me Lemme@ H. Heeemmme. 

